100 Women We Love, Queer Women We Love, Wonder Women

100 Women We Love 2012

June 15, 2012
“Knowing that my election showed Charlotteans and the world that we are not bound by discrimination wakes me every morning with pride,” proclaims LaWana Mayfield, the City Council representative for District 3 in Charlotte, NC, and the city’s first openly gay elected official. Last November, she trounced her Republican opponent in the council election with 78 percent of the vote, replacing an eight-year incumbent. Now, continuously building on her 15 years of activism, her other leadership posts include the Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee, Mecklenburg County Development Corp. Board, Smart Start Board and the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund Board of Advisors. Prior to the election, Mayfield took an active role in LGBT activism as the Human Rights Campaign’s Diversity Co-Chair. “I believe that my role, along with growing the City of Charlotte, is to open the door for LGBTQ dialogue and to create pathways to service. I have this amazing opportunity to help direct the growth of the City of Charlotte through my vote,” Mayfield says. “I am right where I am supposed to be, and I love my job!”

Drum roll, please! We’re excited to present this year’s 100 Women We Love—our most diverse group of out entertainers, artists, athletes, activists, business principals and elected officials yet. Each of these women is a superstar in her own right. Their achievements and contributions shape our lives —and elevate us in the eyes of the world . They’re working to raise LGBT awareness, increase our visibility and quicken our progress toward a just society.

We are extremely proud to present the class of 2012. There are no rankings or numbers. They are all leaders.

Dani Read
“Women are weapons, dress yourself as such.” That’s the battle cry of Dani Read, the Brooklyn-based twentysomething lingerie designer who debuted her own label, FYI (Fuck You Industries) last year. An Indiana native, Read studied at FIT and built her expertise at Marlies Dekkers and Kiki de Montparnasse before launching FYI to address a void in intimate apparel. Rebelling against the industry’s portrayal of women as either “perky pin ups” or “delicate flowers,” Read explains she “chose to go into intimate design because I want lingerie to inspire power and confidence in women, rather than objectify us.” Much more inventive than the typical lacy garments that consumers have come to expect, FYI lingerie is meant to inspire and empower the femme fatale in every woman. Using quality leathers, spikes, studs and silks, Read’s designs now appear in high-end boutiques around the world. As FYI now embarks on its fourth season, Read’s devotees are beginning to expect the unexpected. What sets her apart from other designers? “I think this industry thrives on pressuring women to impress their partners,” Read says. “I design for women to impress themselves.”

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